Never Let Me Go
by lyingxiscariot
Summary: After 150 years away from Mystic Falls Tyler returns and runs into Elena where trouble ends up finding them. WIP.
1. 150 Years Down The Road

**Author's Note**: So I've had this idea in my head for a while and I'm totally a sucker for Tylena so here I am, finally writing some Tylena fanfiction. Everything that happened up until the last episode, 4x14 'Down the Rabbit Hole' is canon, and I'm going off the idea that Jeremy will stay dead. I hope that you guys enjoy this! I'd love to hear what you think. I'm sorry if there are any mistakes.

It had been years since Tyler Lockwood had been back to Mystic Falls. He was amazed to even be back at all if he was being totally honest with himself. Ever since his mother died and things in his life started to spiral even more out of control and he was sure that he was going to live a life like Katherine – spending her entire life running from Klaus. It wasn't how he wanted his life to go, but the truth of the matter was that he had no choice. He was at the mercy of the Original Hybrid and there was no way that he could beat him, no matter how much he wanted to. In a perfect world Klaus would have been dead long ago and Tyler would be able to do whatever the hell he wanted, wherever the hell he wanted. But Tyler learned that the world wasn't perfect, nowhere close to being perfect.

It was the year 2163, exactly 150 years since Tyler left Mystic Falls and he broke up with Caroline. He didn't really mean those words that he said about him moving on but the two never found a way, and eventually they each just had to move on. He heard from her a few times over the years but they didn't stay in touch, especially since she was with Klaus now. The hybrid had no clue how she could be with someone like that, how she could_ love _someone like that. He was an _awful_ man. He killed people for no good reason and he treated Caroline like absolute shit. Tyler reminded her of that but she would just tell him that he didn't understand.

It was true – he didn't understand and he would never understand. The two had two different lives and that was that. His opinion on her relationship with Klaus didn't matter and her opinion on his relationships didn't matter. Well, that last part wasn't exactly true. He always cared what she thought and would always care what she thought. Things didn't end between them because they grew apart or they were bad together, they ended because they were forced to. Tyler would always hold something for Caroline. Especially since she was the first girl that he ever loved; a first love was something that was never forgotten, no matter what. That held true. He wasn't hung up on the blonde vampire; he actually managed to move on, with quite a few different women. He just hadn't settled down in a relationship like Caroline had and he wasn't sure that he would anytime soon. Immortality gave him time.

He waited 150 years to go back to Mystic Falls and he could wait more for things to fall into place. Tyler was standing outside the home that he grew up in. It was more of a mansion than a simple house and a place that Tyler could barely remember. It had been so long and he did his best to just block everything from Mystic Falls out. It was much easier that way. It allowed to him move on and make a new life for himself. As he was standing there he was careful to listen and look around him. He was taking a huge risk by being there. Klaus was still alive and still hated him. He had tried to kill him a few times over the past years, but he was never successful. It was almost as if Tyler was signing his own death certificate by showing up but he had to go back. There was something inside of him that told him that he had to go back so he did.

After standing outside for what felt like an eternity, but in reality was only a few moments, he walked inside of the house. It hadn't changed at all. The only difference between that moment and the time that he left was that it was a hell of a lot more dusty, but nothing had moved and no one had been in it in 150 years. That surprised him a little bit. He would have expected someone to do something with it but no one did. Even though the abandonment of the house was a surprise it wasn't a disappointment. It allowed all of the memories of growing up in that house to come flooding back. Of course they weren't all happy but that was life. It wasn't all happy no matter what. He'd take a mix of happy and unhappy memories over none at all.

Tyler started walking through the house and just looking around, taking it all in. The pictures were still laid out on the table just like his mother had left them. He picked one up and it was a picture of him with his Uncle Mason when they were younger. It made him smile, but it wasn't a happy smile, it was more of a somber one. There had been differences between him and Mason over the years but they still had that family bond, and he had never completely gotten over the fact that he was killed. There were so many times that Tyler just needed him, needed someone to talk to about everything. He had his friends and for a short period of time the fellow hybrids but it was complicated and no one ever seemed to really understand. Unfortunately he never got that help; he just had to go through everything all alone. It was something he hated but also something that he was used to by then.

He set the picture back down and saw the picture right next to it. It was a picture of his parents at one of the many city functions that they had held at the house over the years when his father was the mayor. They looked so happy and that made Tyler smile. His dad wasn't always his favorite person, especially when he got a little too rough and when he wasn't exactly being the most faithful to his mother, but he could see that the two of them really did love each other. At one point and time he was part of a happy family but not anymore.

It was hard when he lost everyone in his family and everyone else in his life when he was in high school. It all happened incredibly fast, too. First, his father then uncle Mason, before long his mom was gone and Caroline, then he had to leave all of his friends. He was alone in the world and it wasn't easy but he managed to go on by himself and he did the best that he could.

He made new friends and found new people to help out. Tyler felt he was at his best when he was helping people. He learned a lot by going through everything alone and he learned it the hard way. He never wanted others to go through half of the stuff that he had to go through so he tried his best to help them out the best that he possibly could. Some of them didn't want help but the ones that did usually ended up living their lives without carrying this impending sense of doom their whole lives. Being a werewolf was definitely a curse but it didn't have to be the end of everyone's lives and he made them see that.

But now since he was back in Mystic Falls he was taking a break from all of that and decided to see what the small town had in store for him. There had to be a reason that he felt compelled to go back, even if he wasn't truly compelled. After he was done looking at the pictures he walked through the rest of the house, checking to make sure that there wasn't anyone else there with him. He didn't feel like there was but with Klaus out to kill him he learned that he could never be too careful. His carefulness was one of the reasons that he managed to survive for so long. Once he deemed that he was alone he walked up to his bedroom and plopped down on his bed, laying his hands across his muscular frame as he stared up at the ceiling, letting various memories from the past 150 years flood through his mind until he eventually closed his eyes and dozed off, for a couple of hours letting his guard down.

Elena Gilbert walked through her modest sized house, the one that she had grown up in, with her journal in her hand. She had been in Mystic Falls for the past couple of months; coming back from many years away from the town that she had always loved growing up. She left after her break up with Damon after they had dated for quite a few years. When the relationship ended she just couldn't bear to be in that town, not with her brother and the rest of her family dead. Damon had been the only thing keeping her there and without him there was no reason for her to say so leaving was the right answer for her.

By then Caroline was gone, traveling around with Klaus who she had then grown close to but wasn't exactly dating yet, and Bonnie was trying to move on with her life. She had stopped practicing witchcraft as often as she once had and tried to live a normal life. Elena knew she didn't fit in Bonnie's life like she once had, especially with how hard Bonnie took the death of Jeremy. She was okay with that and was okay with leaving Mystic Falls.

Elena had spent most of her time traveling and managed to make a few good friends along the way. Occasionally she'd meet up with Stefan or Damon to just see each other again but things were never the same with either of them. She loved both of the Salvatore brothers and she couldn't really be with either of them with everything that had happened with each of them. All three of them were better off for it.

When she was out in the world she managed to restart her life a couple of times but trouble somehow managed to find her. Klaus was still trying to make her life a living hell for the deaths of Finn and Kol. Since Jeremy wasn't around and Klaus had always had a vendetta out for her she was the easiest one to target. She couldn't see people suffer because of her; it was what reduced her to tears so many times when she was a human and a newbie vampire. She tried to stay away from people who couldn't protect herself and eventually just decided that it was time to head back to Mystic Falls. It had been long enough so people wouldn't really recognize who she was and the town would be largely empty from the supernatural creatures that once ruled it.

She was the only one in town over the past couple of months and that was exactly the way she liked it. It got lonely at times but she did have friends, friends who didn't know her secret. She hated that she had to lie but it was for the best. She was just trying to pick up the pieces of her life and figure out where to go from there. She had all of the time in the world and was in no rush to really set her future in stone.

Elena walked up the stairs to her bedroom and took a seat on the seat by the window like she had done countless times before and opened her journal to start writing. She started at the blank page, the pen in her hand as her fingers fidgeted with before she finally figured out what she wanted to say.

_It's been a couple months since I've been back in town, back in this house but it still feels strange. I feel like I'm in high school all over again and I'm going to end up seeing everyone every time I turn the corner. Of course I don't. I have walked past the Salvatore boarding house a couple of times, my inner teenage girl expecting to see Damon or Stefan, but they are nowhere to be seen. In all honesty I have no idea where they are and it's probably better off that way. Keeping my distance from both of them is both what I really want and what I really need. I thought that my forever was with one of them but I was proved wrong. Now I just want them to be happy and Stefan is happy with Rebekah, and Damon is happy with Katherine. I can't say that either of them are my favorite people in the world but they are the women who make Damon and Stefan happy. That's all I could ever ask for. And even though my life has taken a lot of turns that I never thought it would I am happy and that's all I could ever ask for for myself. My own happiness. _

Elena put the pen down and closed her journal when she felt satisfied that she had gotten out what she had wanted to say. After looking around her room for a few moments and trying to figure out what she had wanted to do she got up, grabbing her jacket that was lying on the bed, and heading out of her house to go for a walk. The sun was starting to set and she decided to head for the Grill. Her blood cravings were still incredibly intense after 150 years. Of course she had them under control but it didn't mean that the craving wasn't there. She went in and got herself a drink, something that she had come accustomed to doing ever since her very early days of being a vampire.

She took a couple sips and then looked around the Grill. It was filled with mostly teenagers who had nothing better to do in the small town, but there were a few older people there, too. It was just that Elena didn't know anyone that was there. Suddenly the atmosphere changed. It may have only been evident to Elena but she knew that she wasn't the only vampire there. It put her on her guard. She set her drink down on the counter and looked around until she spotted who it was. For a moment she wasn't sure that she was really seeing who was in front of her.

It was _Tyler. _The last person that she ever expected to see again.

The last time that she saw him was when Rebekah compelled him to attack them at the high school. It took her a couple blinks of her eyes before she could truly believe that it was him but then she immediately got worried. The two locked eyes from across the room and then Elena ran on over to him. She had a million questions for him, after all the two had been friends since they were kids, but first she couldn't get over the extreme worry for his safety that was cursing through her veins.

"Klaus is going to kill you if he finds out that you're here." She whispered to him in a hushed tone, looking around to make sure that Klaus wasn't about to pop out of nowhere or he had someone tracking him. His hybrids really had no shame. "What are you doing here?"

It was refreshing to see a familiar face, granted it was a face that he that he hadn't seen in almost forever so it wasn't exactly familiar but still, it was the face of something that he knew. Elena always worried about other people and he was glad to see that didn't change. "He's not going to find me," Tyler whispered back to her in a confident tone. He was on high alert every moment and no way was Klaus going to get the upper hand on him. "I wanted to come back. What are you doing here?" He didn't expect to see Elena. In fact, he didn't expect to see anyone that he knew from his childhood. Tyler was sure that everyone would be long gone and this place would be the average small town in Virginia where absolutely nothing happens.

Elena being Elena was still concerned about Tyler and dragged him over to one of the corner booths where she knew that no one would be able to see him. "I came back a couple months ago. I just _needed _to come back."

Tyler wasn't really sure what she meant by that but it was obvious that she had been through a lot, just by the look in her eye. It was the same look that he had in his own eyes. They were the only two people in town who truly lost everyone. Tyler lost his parents, his uncle, and eventually was forced to leave the girl he loved. Elena lost her parents, her aunt, and finally her little brother. Time may have passed but the two had lived with the pain for all those years. "Are you still with Damon?"

"No." Elena answered immediately with a soft shake of her head. "Damon and I broke up a long time ago. He's with Katherine now." She quickly got up and got them both a drink so they didn't fit in better since food wasn't exactly up their alley. "I haven't talked to him in years. I haven't talked to Stefan either. Last I heard he was with Rebekah." Elena felt like she was offering up a lot of information but she also knew that he was bound to ask and she wanted to get all of that out of the way. She couldn't blame him though; her life did revolve around Stefan and Damon for a long time.

Tyler thanked her for the drink and drank the whole thing down in one big gulp. It definitely helped him relax, though he would never completely relax. "Have you talked to Caroline?" The two hadn't talked in years. They were on good terms, well, okay terms at least, but since she was in a relationship with Klaus he couldn't exactly talk to her and he was curious as to how she was doing.

The brunette vampire took a small sip of her drink before she even thought about how to answer the question. "She's happy." She didn't want to lie to him but she hated how those words came out. "We don't talk much now that she's with Klaus but from what I've heard from Stefan and Rebekah they seem happy."

"I need another drink." Tyler got up and just grabbed the whole bottle and sat back down at the table. He had a few glasses of the scotch before he finally felt better. "I don't understand, Elena. It's Klaus." Because of him the two couldn't be together and then she went and fell in love with him. It was something that Tyler could never understand and he probably didn't want to understand. It crushed him when he first heard the news, but that was years ago and he was better. He accepted it but that didn't mean he could ever understand it.

Elena didn't really understand either. Caroline hated Damon with a passion and he was nowhere near as cruel as Klaus was. Damon did some pretty terrible things but it was rare that he did them just to be a bad person. He did them to try and protect her, but with Klaus it was just him throwing tantrums when something didn't go his way or someone said something that he didn't like. "I don't know, Tyler. I'm sorry." She said and placed her hand on top of his, giving it a squeeze before pulling her hand. "I know how much you loved her and how much she loved you." Elena may have been caught up in her own life and getting caught between Stefan and Damon and then turning into a vampire, but she did see how in love they were. She couldn't imagine being forced to go through what they had gone through and then eventually just having to move on because there was nothing else that they could do. The mere image made her heart ache.

He appreciated the gesture and gave her a thankful look. "Some things just aren't meant to work out." It kind of felt like his whole life wasn't supposed to work out. There was always something that threw him for a loop but he wasn't going to act depressed about it. Tyler was a fighter; it was how he managed to survive every challenge that life threw his way.

Elena didn't say anything more and the two shared a couple more drinks, just sitting together. It could have been awkward but it wasn't. The two weren't the closest of friends but they were friends. Elena was there for everyone as much as she could be and when everything happened she hated how much danger she put everyone in. It took her a long time to accept everything that happened, that she was the reason that Caroline was a vampire, the reason that Tyler because a werewolf and then a hybrid, the reason that Bonnie's magic got out of control on occasion, the reason that Bonnie's Grams did, the reason that Jenna, Ric, and Jeremy were all dead.; the whole reason that Klaus was still managing to ruin lives. It was a pretty big pill for her to swallow but she did and no matter what anyone told her she did believe that she was the cause for all of the pain that everyone had suffered, but the experiences that they all shared, together and apart, eventually helped her to realize that even though a lot of bad things happened a lot of good things happened, too.

Tyler threw some money down on the table, even after all those years being able to use compulsion he still felt the need to do things the right way a good portion of the time, and then the two headed out of the Grill and into the cool night air. It was pretty empty since it was a weeknight and there were no town events happening. The two walked down the street and eventually got closer and closer to Elena's house but they weren't really saying anything, still it wasn't awkward for some reason. The silence was nice. "How long are you staying in town?" Tyler asked once they reached the edge of her house.

Elena stopped and looked at him, her arms folding in front of her petite frame. "I don't know." She took a quick glance up at her house before looking back at Tyler. "Do you want to come in?" Even though a majority of everything between them that night had been silence she liked having the company.

Tyler was surprised by the offer but ultimately decided to agree. "Sure." He said and then the two walked into the house, Tyler taking a brief moment to look at the swing on the porch. It took him right back to that night when things changed for everyone. "This place hasn't changed."

Elena shut the door and then took a seat on the couch. "No. After Jeremy died I just left it." She couldn't bear the thought of changing anything. Anyone who had lived there died and she just wanted to preserve and have a little piece of everyone with her there.

He walked over and took a seat down on the couch next to her. "What happened?" He left before he actually found out that Jeremy was dead. In fact, it wasn't until many many years later that he knew that Jeremy died. Tyler had a complicated friendship with Jeremy but in the end he did care about the kid, and was upset when he died.

"Katherine." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. It wasn't something that she wanted to talk about but she was polite and would answer his question. "He was with Bonnie and she pretended to be me where she ended up killing him." The words came out shaky and she shuddered at the mere thought and the images of her brother's body coming back to her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." He understood how she felt. Whenever anyone asked him about anything like that he didn't want to talk about it either.

"No, it's okay." Even as a vampire she couldn't be rude for no reason. It just wasn't in her. Of course she could hold her ground and have the true Petrova fire if she had to. "I'm fine."

It took a while before the mood finally did manage to shift out of the somber and into the happy. It was long before the two of them were reminiscing about their times in high school before all of the vampires and the things that they did together. Elena was looking back on her days when she dated Matt and Tyler remembered the days where he was an insane party boy who was hooking up with Vicki. They were by no means his proudest days but there were a couple of good memoires from a few parties he threw in there.

"Remember that time you pushed me into the water?" Elena asked with a slight giggle. She remembered being so mad at him but quickly got over it when Matt went ahead and pushed him into the water as well. It started a water fight between them, which Bonnie, Caroline, and Matt quickly joined them in and before they knew it they were all soaked and just having the best time together.

The memory made Tyler smile. "I thought you were going to kill me. You shouldn't have been standing so close to the edge, you were asking to get pushed in."

"I was not!" She defended with a smile. "I was talking to Bonnie and the next thing I knew I was in the water with no warning." It reminded her of that time Damon pushed her into the water when she was tracking Stefan down with Alaric, except that she was a way more upset when Damon did it.

Tyler shrugged his shoulders, still with a smile displayed across his features. "You got me back for that. I distinctly remember having a whole bunch of punch dumped on me at that party that one of the Fell kids threw."

That sent Elena into a fit of laughter. "You were covered in red all night long. I have pictures of that." She quickly got up and opened up one of the cabinets where her parents had put a whole bunch of photo albums. "Here it is." She flipped through the pages until she came across the photo of Tyler covered in red punch with an obviously unhappy look on his face.

He took a look at the picture and shook his head with a hint of amusement. "It wasn't even spiked. What kind of party was that?" Tyler scoffed. It was a Fell party so he really couldn't expect much from that.

"Not everyone had a keg at their parties like you did, Tyler." Elena pointed out as she plopped back down on the sofa, next to Tyler. She smiled over at him actually having fun just thinking about the past, the early past at that.

"It's why my parties were awesome." He said with confidence and leaned back against the cushion. "Those were good times."

"They were." Elena agreed with him and propped up her feet on the table, with her hands laid out across her stomach. She was still very concerned about Klaus coming to find them both but that could wait. She shut her eyes for a moment or at least what she had thought was a moment.

Tyler looked over and saw that Elena had fallen asleep. He got up as carefully as he could, not wanting to wake her up. He looked around and saw that there was a spare blanket and grabbed it, spreading it out over her. She didn't need it but he wasn't just going to leave her laying there without something over her. It was the gentleman in him. Tyler headed for the door but then thought of something. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, scrambling his number down on the paper, telling her to make sure to keep in touch. If he had the chance to recapture even a bit of his old life, his old friends, then he was going to do just that.

He smiled and saw that she was still sleeping and then headed out the door and back to his house. Things were definitely different in that town and he was already glad that he took the risk and came back, even if he didn't know what exactly pulled him back to that town just yet.


	2. The New Witch In Town

**Author's Note:** I meant to have this chapter up on Sunday but I accidentally deleted the first version so I had to rewrite this. Thank you guys so much for the reviews and follows! It makes me even more stoked for the story.

I've decided that I'll post on Mondays and Thursdays. So there will be another chapter up tomorrow! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! :)

* * *

Ever since Elena and Tyler ran into each other at the Grill they had been hanging out more and more. It was strange though. They had grown up together but they were never close, and now they were together _a lot._ They blended back into small town life but it wasn't like they were going to high school; neither wanted to go back to that stage in their lives, so all they really had was each other. Not that it was a bad thing, it was just…well, strange.

Instead of dwelling on it the hybrid and the vampire went on with their lives, watching out for Klaus, and just simply hanging out. The town may have been small but it was their home. That meant that they knew all kinds of things about it, places that they could go where they could be reminded of the past. The Lockwood cellar was a good example of that. There were twists and turns almost everywhere and there were all kinds of carvings on the walls from various time periods over the past thousand years. There were places that they couldn't go while down there, magical spells that no doubt the original Lockwoods had put up so that vampires couldn't get in. They just avoided those and focused on the places that they could go, even coming across some carvings that the group of them had made when they were teenagers. A lot had changed since.

After some exploring down there and looking at some carvings that they had made when they were teenagers and life was just beginning for them Elena and Tyler walked up the steps and back out into the fresh air. They decided to head to the Grill, to grab a drink and just be out. Being inside all of the time could really make one go crazy. Elena kept reminding him that it wasn't a good idea to go out and be seen in public. Klaus could have all kinds of people that were scanning the town for activity and he got word about Tyler then he was sure to kill him.

Of course Tyler just brushed it off and decided not to worry about it. He had managed to run off from Klaus for so long that he practically a master at it, and finally understood Katherine's way of life more than he ever had before. He figured that neither of them were any safer at one of their houses. Klaus could get in both of them, and he was much less likely to assassinate him in the middle of the Grill with a whole bunch of people watching.

It didn't take long for the two to arrive since the town was so small and within minutes of entertaining the two were seated at the bar, each with their preferred drink choice.

"Is it just me or did this place get smaller?" Tyler asked as he looked around. He wasn't sure if it was just because he remembered it being bigger, or if he had just been away from Mystic Falls for so long that he forgot how small things really were.

Elena took a sip of her drink and then looked around. There were definitely a lot of people in the place, but it was a Friday night so that wasn't really all that much of a surprise. "I don't think this place has gotten smaller, Tyler." She replied with a bit of an amused chuckle following.

Tyler just shrugged and kept on looking around. While the town had changed ever since it was first founded the people in the town really didn't. Most of them were from families who had lived in the town for so long and just never left. It was kind of nice but Tyler thought about all of the places that they were missing out on. He wasn't the biggest fan of growing up in a place where there was nothing to do, but when he was a teenager it wasn't like he could just leave and do whatever he wanted. He still did have to graduate, but he knew that most of the kids sitting in the Grill weren't going to leave. They may go to college but it would be somewhere nearby. Then they would get married, settle down in Mystic Falls, and have a couple of kids, continuing the cycle all over again.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice the girl who was approaching them, but Elena did. Elena felt like she knew the girl but she had no idea where from. She had never seen her before but there was something that seemed familiar to Elena. As the girl got closer she knew that she'd found out sooner or later. The brunette elbowed Tyler and motioned her head for him to look at the girl.

The hybrid didn't really know what he was supposed to be looking for or why he was even looking, since she didn't actually go ahead and tell him what she seemed to be so concerned over. Eventually he managed to put it together when he noticed that a girl was getting closer and closer. "Who is she?"

Elena just shrugged, leaning a little closer to Tyler. "I feel like I should know who she is." It really was bothering her that she didn't.

Eventually the girl came over and was standing in front of them. "I didn't mean to interrupt you guys," she said with a smile, her dark hair bouncing just as she did. "I heard that you two both recently got into town. I just wanted to welcome you. I'm Samantha Donovan."

Tyler and Elena looked briefly at each other before looking at the girl, each with a polite smile on their face. "I'm Tyler Lockwood," he said, offering out his hand for her to shake, "And this is Elena Gilbert." He watched as she also offered out her hand, doing her best to be polite. Not that Elena was mean but she had some reservations about the girl who was now talking to them.

Samantha shook both of their hands but when she did she got a really bad feeling. It was obvious on her face and when she abruptly pulled her hand back. It wasn't something that she had ever experienced before. It was dark and depressing; it felt like death was cursing through her veins. Needless to say it wasn't something that she really wanted to experience again. "I'm sorry but I have to go. I just realized that I'm late. I need to help, uh, my grandmother with something." She didn't even wait for them to say anything. Instead she just turned and headed out the front door.

"She's not….?" Tyler asked without actually finishing his sentence. Donovan. It wasn't a name that either had really heard in a long time, but they knew who exactly she was a decedent of–Matt Donovan. Matt and Bonnie had got married a couple of years after Tyler had skipped town and from then Elena tried not to stick around them too much; especially when the two of them started having children. Bonnie made it very clear that she didn't want Elena, Caroline, and the Salvatore brothers around her children.

"Samantha Donovan." Elena whispered out loud though she was talking to herself more than Tyler. She picked up her glass which was still pretty full, well as full as it got when drinking alcohol, and drank the whole thing down in one gulp. "Descendant of Bonnie and Matt Donovan."

Tyler knew exactly what that meant. It meant that she was a witch and she probably knew exactly what they were. So much for keeping their presence on the down low. He didn't know if she actually knew she was a witch but if she didn't know before then she certainly had an inclination now. "Let's go." Tyler stood up, tossing some money down on the bar before walking out of the Grill. If she knew then the two of them shouldn't hang out in the open like that, especially since witches could be a hell of a lot more subtle than Klaus. They had been dealing with vampires just as long as the species had been around.

Elena followed Tyler out of the Grill and the two ended up heading back to her house since it was closer, being that Tyler lived on the very edge of town. She was worried; worried that Klaus would find Tyler, worried that Samantha held Bonnie's hatred of vampires. She was just all around worried. There hadn't been much conflict in that town lately and Elena didn't want to be the one to bring it all back. She couldn't stand the thought of people dying because she and Tyler just happened to come back. Of course she didn't vocalize any of this, instead she just thought about it constantly. She may have been a vampire, one that wasn't always perfect and made mistakes, but she still had a very strong conscience.

The two walked into the Gilbert house and Tyler immediately took a seat down on the couch while Elena started pacing. This was how she worked through problems sometimes, she paced and tried to think of every last scenario and everything was…bad. It was all bad and she didn't know how she was going to handle it. "She's a witch. This could mean the worst for us." She finally said out loud, looking over at Tyler with a very concerned look on her face.

"You worry too much." He worried too but it seemed as if she worried before there was actually something to worry about. She was a witch but that didn't mean that she was out to kill them. Neither of them knew what Matt and Bonnie told their children about everything, never mind knowing what was passed down through the family over the years. Of course he was concerned but not as much as she was and there was no way that he was going to show that. He had Elena for that.

Elena just turned and looked at him; she couldn't believe that he wasn't worried. "Tyler, she's a witch. She's a _Bennett witch_ and she knows that we're _vampires_. That can't mean anything good, especially since you're supposed to be on the run from Klaus." She really for the life of her didn't understand as to why he wasn't even remotely concerned.

Tyler got up and walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders so she would stop moving around. It was strange, touching her, being that close to her face. Neither of them flinched though. "Sit down and take a breath, Elena. We'll be fine. We've survived Klaus, we've survived hunters, we've survived so much and Samantha Donovan is not going to be the one who takes us down."

Elena took a deep breath when he told her to but didn't sit down, mainly because he was holding her. "Okay." There was something about how close he was and the way that he was looking at her. It was obvious that he genuinely cared about her, which was something that she hadn't experienced in so long. When he let go of her shoulders she took a seat down on the couch. She was a little calmer but not by much. "I just really don't want anyone to die." There had been too much death in that town when they originally lived there; she didn't want the death to continue.

"No one is going to die. I'm not going to let that happen." He hated when people died, even if he didn't show it like Elena did. After losing his whole family because of this mess with vampires and hybrids, he really became keener on keeping people alive. No one should have to lose their whole family like both he and Elena did. It wasn't fair nor was it right. "Do you trust me?"

"I trust you." She said, giving him a small smile though it was definitely not a happy smile. It was a smile that showed she was scared and nervous about what could happen, but that ultimately no matter what happened they had each other. They would work together to keep everyone safe, no matter what. Those were just the kind of people they were.

The legends of vampires, hybrids, werewolves, and witches had been passed down for generations, but that's all they were – legends. There were stories that the members of the Founding Families past down but that's all people thought that they were. It wasn't as if people thought that what they heard about the various supernatural species was actually true.

However, when Samantha touched both Elena and Tyler, that feeling, that feeling of death made her think twice. She knew that she came from a long line of witches; she found journals and a grimoire when she was young. She wasn't stupid; even if her mom kept telling her that witches didn't exist and that everything was made up. But she had never experienced something like that before, something so strong that it felt like she was the one dying.

She left the Grill hastily and was back at her house as soon as she possibly could, heading upstairs to her bedroom. There was a chest at the end of her bed, which she immediately began tearing through. There was a specific book that she was looking for, one that she knew she had but for some reason she couldn't quite find. "Typical," she groaned to herself once the chest was empty. She tore her whole room apart until she managed to finally find it.

She set the book down and it just opened by itself to the exact page that she was looking for. It scared her at first, causing her to look around her room cautiously. Eventually she determined that there was nothing there and looked at the page. It was a list of all of the supernatural beings that lived in mystic falls. It hadn't been updated in a long time, since that book belonged to Bonnie Bennett. As her dark brown eyes scanned the pages she because more enlightened than ever before. It was a list of everyone who was a vampire, who was a werewolf, and who was an Original. Everyone from the town that had existed over 150 years ago.

Vampires 

Elena Gilbert

Caroline Forbes

Damon Salvatore

Stefan Salvatore

Katherine Pierce

Rose –**dead**

Lexi – **dead**

Isobel – **dead **

Vicki **- dead**

Werewolves

Mason Lockwood –** dead**

Jules – **dead**

Hayley

Tyler Lockwood – turned into hybrid

Originals – The Mikaelsons

Klaus – hybrid

Rebekah

Elijah

Kol – **dead **

Finn – **dead**

Others 

Matt Donovan – human

Jeremy Gilbert – Hunter –** dead**

Alaric Saltzman – hunter – **dead **

Jamie – witch - dead

Abby Bennett – Vampire

Esther Mikaelson – witch – **dead **

Mikael – Hunter – **dead **

Samantha looked at the list in awe. She couldn't believe all of the names and all of the people that Bonnie knew. Those were only the ones that Bonnie knew, well, that she documented anyway. She couldn't imagine all of the other ones around the world that she didn't know about. As she scanned through the names again she came across Elena Gilbert and Tyler Lockwood. It definitely explained the feeling of death that she got from both of them. Elena was a vampire and Tyler was a hybrid, not that she really knew what hybrid meant.

After sitting there for a couple of minutes, looking through the list over and over, trying to see if there were any other names that she could recognize–there weren't. She went back to the chest and went through a few more things where she found a whole bunch of pictures. They were obviously Bonnie's. There were pictures of her with Matt, whom she had come to recognize after her mom talked about the two of them so often. Then there were pictures of Tyler and Elena, with some other people she didn't recognize. There was a blonde girl and three different guys. Samantha grabbed all of the pictures, slid them inside the book and then walked right back out of her house. She was about to go and get some answers.

She knew where the Gilbert house was since there had been nobody in it for so long and it was always the talk of the town, that and the Lockwood Mansion. It was rare for homes to be empty in Mystic Falls so everyone always knew where they were. It didn't take long for her to show up there, but when she did she just stood on the sidewalk, looking up at the house.

Samantha may have been a witch but she wasn't exactly up to speed on what she could do, and going to see a vampire and a hybrid. That was like a death wish. They could kill her in two seconds flat and no one would know a thing. She didn't want that for her family, so she just kept on standing on the sidewalk. _I can't do it_; she thought to herself and turned to walk away. She took a few steps before there was a little voice inside her head that told her she had to; she needed answers and the only way to get them was to go ahead and ask both Tyler and Elena.

With this new found confidence Samantha turned and walked back towards the house, going up to the front door and knocked on it a couple of times. It seemed like she was waiting an eternity for the door to open, probably from all the nerves. When the door finally opened she was greeted with the sight of Elena. "I know who you are and I know who Tyler is. I want to talk." Samantha said in a very serious, authoritative tone, letting Elena know that she meant business. If she was going to risk her life she might as well act as if there was nothing to be scared of because she was the more powerful one. Even if that wasn't true.

Elena wasn't surprised when she opened the door to find Samantha standing there. It wasn't going to take her long to figure out who the both of them were. "Come on in," Elena said sweetly to the girl and then stepped aside so she could walk through the threshold.

Samantha walked in the house, jumping a little as the door shut. She hoped that they couldn't tell but with their hearing it wouldn't be long before they heard just how fast her heart was beating. It was impossible for her to keep a secret with them around. Eventually she managed to go and take a seat, at the table because she felt more comfortable there. She wanted to keep her guard up the entire time and sitting on the couch, right next to them wasn't going to help. When Tyler and Elena finally came and sat down with her she put the book down, opening it up to the pages where she had found the list. "Bonnie kept a lot of records."

Tyler slid the book over to him and Elena, both of them immediately scanning over the records. Those were only the records of what happened during those high school years, who knows how much more drama they came across during those years? Tyler wasn't around and Elena didn't seem to ever want to talk about.

"How did you become a vampire and a hybrid?" She asked, wanting to know the full story. She couldn't trust the legends, not when she had two people right in front of her who could tell her the answer.

Tyler let out a breath and looked over at Elena, when she nodded that they should just tell her, he figured it was okay. Neither were sure that they could actually go ahead and trust Samantha but she was still a Bennett witch. Because of that, because she was related to both Matt and Bonnie, it was safe to say that maybe they could trust her.

"It started over a thousand years ago," Elena started, planning on giving the vampire version of events while Tyler could give the werewolf version of events. "The Mikaelsons moved here, to the New World, and after an accident with the werewolves the Original witch, Esther, turned her children into vampires in order to protect them from the werewolves."

"My family, The Lockwoods, is the original line of werewolves." That was a little piece of information that he came across during his time away from Mystic Falls and away from Klaus. He eventually found some other family members and was relieved to see that they were still alive. He really didn't want the first line of werewolves to just die off. "One night one of the werewolves accidentally killed Henrik Mikaelson. Not long after Rebekah, Klaus, Elijah, Finn, and Kol all became vampires they tried to kill of the wolves in revenge. It wouldn't be until later on that they would find out that werewolf bites are fatal to vampires and there's only one cure; Klaus' blood because he's both a vampire and a werewolf."

When Tyler stopped Elena picked up, "They found out that they couldn't walk in the daylight so there were daylight rings that were made." She stopped for a moment and decided that this would go faster if she skipped over some of the details. "Klaus ended up turning Mary Porter, who then turned Rose. Rose turned Katherine who then turned both Damon and Stefan Salvatore. Then there's Damon who turned both me and Caroline."

Samantha sat there and listened, making sure that she caught all of the details. It was a lot of names but she managed to keep up, especially since they were going so slow. It was interesting though and she couldn't wait to hear the rest. "Go on."

"Klaus is both a vampire and a werewolf – a hybrid. Combined with the fact that he is from the Original family of vampires he's pretty much unkillable. He wasn't always like that though. Long story short his mom put a curse on him to make sure that his werewolf side stayed dormant. The only way that it could be undone was by performing a ritual. In it there's a sacrifice of a vampire, a werewolf, and the blood of a doppelganger. Of course you need the moonstone and a really powerful witch." Elena said, thinking over in her head. If she was going to tell this story she wanted to make sure that she didn't leave anything out.

"And that's how you became a vampire?" Samantha asked, thinking that she was right.

Elena shook her head. "No."

"Klaus took months figuring out trying to make more hybrids until one day he just…got really impatient. He fed me his blood, snapped my neck, and gave Bonnie some time to figure out how to keep me from dying like all the rest." He cringed at just the memory of that. Those few minutes where he was going into transition without actually having any blood in his system was one of the most painful experiences of his life. "Eventually I took Elena's blood and it worked. From there he made a whole bunch of hybrids but I'm the only one still living."

Elena kept her gaze on Tyler as he told the story. That day wasn't good for anyone. It was the day that Stefan was compelled to turn off his humanity and she was used as vampire food. "We tried to kill Klaus. It didn't work but they ended up desiccating him. Alaric, who was a hunter, was turned into an Original Hunter by Esther, the Original witch. The only way that he could be killed was if I died because our lives were tethered together. He staked Klaus and his body went up in flames, everyone thought that he was dead. Rebekah was so upset that she sent the car that Matt and I were in over the bridge. Stefan came to rescue me but I told him to save Matt and that's how I died."

Samantha just looked at the both of them for a few minutes, very confused. "I don't understand how you became a vampire."

Elena nodded with a bit of understanding. She had been vague but there was definitely more to the story. "Klaus was draining all of my blood from my body, before they desiccated him. He wanted to have my blood so that he could go and make more hybrids."

"I was gone from Mystic Falls for a while trying to break the sire bond." He saw the confused look on the witch's face. "Sometimes when you're turned there's a bond to your sire. You're grateful for what has happened to you and you do pretty much whatever they say. You can say no but you'll still do it anyway. I bit Caroline at the time, almost killed her, so that's when I left and broke it. When I came back Elena was getting her blood drained and I couldn't let her die. We had this plan, we did it, and then things…well things got complicated."

Elena could agree with that. Complicated was only the beginning of that. "I went home and passed out. My brother Jeremy took me to the hospital where someone put vampire blood in my system. So when I died that night I came back as a vampire."

Samantha just sat there in silence for a couple of minutes. She was processing and trying to make sense of everything in her brain. It was a lot of stuff that happened to them and she couldn't believe that any of them even made it out alive. The legends that she had been told growing up were true but this, this was just in way more detail. It seemed way more real. "How is Klaus still alive? You said that his body went up in flames."

"That's because of me and Bonnie actually." Tyler said, remembering how it all came together. "Bonnie and I got to talking and well, if Klaus died then we would all die. Me, Caroline, Stefan, Damon…Katherine." Katherine wouldn't have been that bad but still, the rest of them would have died to. "So, we did the body switching spell that is one of his favorites. It put him in my body. Eventually we were switched back, and he's still alive. He's out there somewhere."

"Wow." Samantha nodded. "That's just wow. So what happened to everyone else? You two are the only ones in town."

Tyler and Elena looked at each other. They knew this story would be just as long but they weren't going to deny her. "Before any of this stuff happened Tyler, Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, Vicki and I grew up together. I was dating Matt until my parents died. After that I broke up with him and when Stefan came to town we started dating."

"I was sleeping with Vicki, Matt's sister at the time. She hooked up with Elena's brother Jeremy, who loved her. She became a vampire and died." That was a whole long story that he was not getting into. Even all those years later he felt awful for the way that he treated Vicki. "Damon and Caroline hooked up, but then Caroline got with Matt. That went south after Matt found out that she was a vampire and eventually Caroline and I dated. I fell in love with her but we had to separate because Klaus sent me on the run. He said if he ever saw me again that he'd kill me. I've been avoiding him and this town ever since, but now Caroline is with Klaus." He was definitely not pleased about that last part. The idea of Caroline and Klaus together just drove him absolutely insane.

Elena put her hand on his arm, trying to calm him down and wordlessly tell him that it would be okay. She knew that Caroline and Klaus being together upset a lot. "Stefan and I broke up not too long after I became a vampire. I ended up falling in love with his brother, Damon, who I was also sired to. We stayed together for a while but it didn't work out. Stefan is now with Rebekah, Klaus' sister. Damon is with Katherine. Jeremy died. And I don't know where Elijah is, to be honest. Then there was Bonnie and Matt who got married and actually got to live a normal life."

"And now you two are together." She stated, not even asking. It was strange to see how everyone in their little group seemed to just swap partners.

The two of them just looked at each other and let out a small laugh. "No, we're friends." The two of them said at the exact same time. Nothing had ever happened between Tyler and Elena and they had never seen each other as more than friends.

The witch didn't really believe that but she wasn't going to debate about it. "Does anyone know about you guys here?"

"No." Tyler said firmly. "You can't tell anyone. You'll get us both killed." He really preferred to be alive and he had spent so much time running just to end up dead.

"Samantha," Elena said softly, wanting to really get through to the girl without seeming like she was using her vampire powers over her. "You really can't tell anyone. We're not going to hurt anyone while we're here. This is our home. We grew up here and we're not going to do anything to destroy it." Elena just wanted to be able to stay in Mystic Falls for a little while and Samantha was definitely in her plan. Now that she meant the Bennett she didn't want thing to go south.

"I don't know." She still didn't trust them. After all they weren't exactly human and the only people that she really could trust were human. It had been told to her, her entire life that vampires were not to be trusted, even if they were just legends. The moral of the story was always the same, but after looking between the two of them she felt like she could. "Okay. I won't tell anyone but if you do anything to harm or kill someone then all bets are off."

"That sounds fair." Elena agreed. She definitely didn't have any plans to cause any trouble anyway, and Tyler wasn't exactly one who went around and killed people either. "Thank you."

She closed the book, leaving the pictures on the table. "You can keep those." She said as she stood up. "I better go now. It's late." She held the book close to her chest and walked out of the house, letting out a deep breath when she finally made it into the fresh air. That was probably one of the most nerve wracking experiences of her life, but she did feel better about the whole thing.

After Samantha left Tyler and Elena just looked at each other, sitting in complete silence for a few minutes. "Do you think we made the right choice?" Elena asked, unsure if telling her everything about them and what happened was the right choice.

Tyler thought it over but then ultimately decided that it was the right choice. "She's not going to kill us. One, I don't think she has the power and two, she's not like Klaus. She couldn't handle the blood on her hands for no reason."

"I hope you're right, Ty. I don't want this to become World War III. Not with Klaus looking for the both of us." Elena was worried but tried to act like she wasn't. Her life was calm for so long and now she felt like it was about to come crashing down. "We're in this together though. I'll protect you and you protect me."

"We're in this together." Tyler repeated and just smiled at Elena. The more time that he had been spending with her the more that he found he liked her. The Elena from high school was not the same Elena that he knew then, and he liked that. Plus, it didn't hurt that there wasn't Stefan or Damon around. "I should head home."

Elena was lost in her own thoughts as he was staring at her, thinking about Samantha and what would happen if Tyler and her really did have to do something to save themselves, that she barely registered what he said. "Or you could stay." There was a confused look on his face. "It's nice when someone is around. There are extra rooms. It might be safer if we stick together."

The two of them could handle things themselves and he knew that Elena knew that, but he wasn't going to say no. If anything just hanging out with someone once more was nice. "I'll stay," he agreed and smiled at the smile that had formed on Elena's face.

He used to have Caroline and she used to have Damon, now all they had was each other.

.


	3. The Dream

**Author's Note:** Thank you for the reviews! I love hearing from you guys! Here's the next chapter like promised! This chapter is a lot shorter than the previous two but that's because I didn't want to really put too much into this one. This chapter also doesn't have any Tyler or Elena! But both length and Tyler/Elena will be back in Monday's Chapter! :)

* * *

When Samantha left Tyler and Elena she went straight back to her house. It was late and completely dark outside. The last thing that she wanted was for something bad to happen. While the town was considered safe now that she knew that vampires, werewolves, and the like all existed out there she didn't exactly feel safe there anymore; especially not out in the dark by herself.

She got into the house and saw that her parents were sitting on the couch watching TV like they did most nights. She shot them a smile and headed towards the stairs, going up a few of them before she heard the dreaded noise of her father's voice.

"Samantha, where were you?" Her father asked in a deep voice. He wasn't mad but he was concerned that she had been out so late.

Samantha stopped on the staircase and turned around, walking down the few steps and over to where her parents were sitting. "Oh, I just went to the Grill for my book. I left it there earlier," she lied, but she wasn't about to go ahead and tell her parents the truth. Was she supposed to say that she was at the old Gilbert house where she met Tyler Lockwood and Elena Gilbert, where they told her a whole bunch of history about vampires? Yeah, like that would have gone over well.

Her mother just looked at her, a small smile on her face. "Just tell us where you're going next time, sweetheart. You may be growing up but we still worry about you."

Samantha nodded and went over, giving her parents both a kiss on the cheek before she told them that she was going to head up to bed and get some sleep. She was really exhausted and just wanted to lie down in her bed. She knew she probably wasn't going to be able to get much sleep because of all of the thoughts racing through her head but at least she could lie down.

When she opened the door to her room she noticed the mess of books that were scattered everyone. She groaned, realizing that she never did clean up the mess. Instead she just ended up leaving with the necessary book in her hand. Samantha took a few minutes and put all of the books back before eventually just getting into bed. She hadn't felt so mentally exhausted in so long.

Even though she was exhausted she couldn't exactly sleep. She tossed and turned for quite a while, thinking of what Bonnie did for them all those years ago. It was insane and she couldn't get past the beliefs that were drilled into her ever since she was a kid. There was a reason that they were supposed to hate vampires. They were bad. They killed people and showed absolutely no remorse for anyone. She should tell someone, tell her parents. Yes, that's what she was going to do.

Samantha got up from her bed, swinging her legs around to the edge, but when she felt her feet hit the floor she just continued sitting there. She needed to get up but there was something inside of her telling her that she couldn't go and tell her parents. She would end feeling bad. While she didn't exactly trust Tyler or Elena she also believed them when they said that they weren't the type to go on a killing spree.

After thinking it over for a couple more minutes she laid back down in her bed, trying to fall asleep. This time she only laid there with her eyes open for a few minutes before she finally ended up falling asleep

* * *

Samantha was in the clothes that she had been wearing the day before, walking from her house towards the woods. The woods weren't a place that she spent much time, but she did spend time there on occasion. She had no clue as to what was going on and why she was walking in that direction, but she didn't question it. The witch followed her instincts, something that she only recently learned was best for her.

Eventually she stopped walking and looked around to see exactly where she was. She could see a group of trees a little ahead of her in the distance, but when she turned her head the other way she saw the Lockwood mansion. That really puzzled her. Why was she there? From what she could tell she was standing on the Old Lockwood Property, which wasn't a place she had been before. She only knew about it from all of those history lessons about the town. She kept looking around but saw nothing of importance. She felt herself starting to get annoyed, she didn't want to be there for no reason.

"Samantha Donovan, or should I say Bennett? It's not often that Bennett witches change their last names." A deep male voice said from behind her, which caused Samantha to turn around immediately.

She looked at the person standing before her. He was a bit older than she was, looking as if he could be someone's father, with his aged face and dark hair. She had never seen him before, which caused her to be cautious, taking a step back to put some distance between the two of them. "Do I know you?" Samantha asked her voice a little shaky.

"Derek Lockwood." He answered immediately, keeping his intense gaze directly on her. He wasn't trying to intimidate her. He was there for a reason and that reason was why he needed her, there, and scaring the poor girl wasn't going to do anything to help.

Knowing who he was didn't exactly settle her nerves, but when she said the last name she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Lockwood?" She was asking if he was related to Tyler Lockwood without actually saying anything. The look on his face confirmed it for her. He was somehow related to Tyler but she wasn't quite sure how. Or why the hell she was meeting him in the middle of nowhere for that matter. Well, nowhere for Mystic Falls at all. "How are you related to Tyler Lockwood?" There was no way that she was going to find out any information if she didn't at least ask.

"He's my descendant." Derek had been expecting the question and instantly answered. "It's rather embarrassing." With a brief pause he continued. "You cannot trust him, nor can you trust Elena Gilbert. They are vampires. They are loyal to their own kind and they will end up turning on you. You may think that they are good because they say they are different, but the both of them have killed. "

Samantha was confused by what Derek was telling her. How did he even know that she talked to them? She didn't believe him either. As far as she was concerned he was just some old man who seemed extremely grumpy. "I'll be fine." She responded, her face as serious as Derek's was. Samantha Donovan was not about to be intimated by someone she didn't even know.

"No." He shook his head, his voice firm and even a louder than before. Derek took a step forward but she just took a step back. "It's okay." That time his voice was softer and when she looked like she trusted him he grabbed her hand, placing it in his.

As Samantha's hand was between the two larger ones a series of images started surging through her mind. They were images of people dying, both Tyler and Elena feeding off of various people. There was no remorse. They were just vampires who thought of people as food. Samantha could feel the pain of every one of those victims. Eventually she couldn't take anymore and pulled herself back, falling to her knees as she breathed heavily, with a few tears streaming down her face. "Oh my god," she cried as the images still flashed through her mind. It took her a moment to compose herself but she finally did, standing up and looking straight at Derek. "I understand now. Thank you." She whispered and suddenly Derek was gone.

* * *

Samantha woke up from her dream panting. It was the strangest and scariest dream that she ever experienced. She could have sworn that it was real and that it happened, but she was lying in her bed with the clothes that she had slept in still on her body. The witch sat up in her bed, looking around as the sunshine filled her room. She wished it was raining; the sun did not make her feel better about what she experienced in the dream. The pain that those images left with her was still very evident. It plagued her and all she wanted to do was start sobbing. "Those poor people." The words came out in a soft whisper before she buried her face in her hands and started crying. She should have just minded her own business; at least it was better living not knowing what lurked in the town.

Suddenly Samantha knew exactly what she had to do. While she had never practiced serious magic there were some things that she did, like light candles. She didn't even realize she had done it, not until she found all those books and found out what she really could do. Now there was this new found confidence in her and she was sure that she could do anything that was needed of her. Samantha quickly changed her clothes and grabbed her grimoire, heading out to the place where the dream took place.

She opened up the book of spells, the book flying to the page that was needed. Her eyes grazed the page and she started chanting. There was leaves rising around her and all of a sudden she could feel the power rising through her body. It was a rush and something that she instantly fell in love with.

The longer she chanted, the weaker her body became, but she didn't stop. This was something that she needed to do, there was no other option. Suddenly, when she felt like she couldn't go on any longer Derek rose from the ground, standing directly in front of her like he had the night more. Samantha looked up at him in awe, extremely proud of what she just had accomplished.

"Thank you," Derek said, that same serious look plastered across his face. He knew that he picked the right witch and that his plan was going to be successful. "We have a lot of work to do."


	4. An Unexpected Visitor

**Note:** Hi! I'm sorry that I haven't updated. I kind of lost my muse but it has returned! Updates will be more regular. I promise. Also, I by no means want to portray Caroline in a negative light. She's just trying to be a protective friend. She's by no means meant to be a 'bitch' in the story. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Thank you guys for the reviews. :)

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It had been a long time since Caroline Forbes had been in Mystic Falls and that was exactly the way that she liked it. She had no desire to be reminded of what exactly happened in that town in the past. The only reason that the bubbly blonde was going back was because she needed to talk to Elena, otherwise she would stay out of town with Klaus. She was much happier there.

She was much happier with Klaus than she could have ever dreamed. Of course bad things happened but those were in the past. They respected each other; they were in a long term stable serious relationship. Things weren't always perfect but no relationship was perfect. They made it through a lot and Caroline knew that nothing was going to happen between the two of them. She had finally found her place in the world and that made her happier than anything else possibly could.

She and Tyler didn't exactly end on good terms but she didn't hate him. No, Caroline Forbes could never truly hate anyone. It wasn't in her. She may have been angry with the hybrid for quite a long time but she never hated him. In fact she always made it a priority to know where she was. Even though she and Klaus were together that didn't mean that the blonde could control him. She couldn't bare to see Klaus rip out Tyler's heart, therefore she always tried to make it so that she knew where he was.

So when she heard that he was in Mystic Falls, and that Elena was there, too, Caroline knew that she had to go and pay them a little visit before Klaus got word. They were both important to her and she didn't want to see either of them dead for things they did all those years ago.

She walked up to the Gilbert house, her blonde hair perfectly curled as she wore jeans and a flowy top. Instead of knocking Caroline simply walked in. It was probably rude but she wasn't there to talk pleasantries. She was going to give what she thought no matter what anyone else though. She was stronger than she used to be. She could hold her own, against anyone. That was thanks to Klaus.

She looked around and saw that the living room was empty and that there was no sign of Elena. She quietly walked up the stairs to the bedroom, where she spotted Elena laying in bed. She was sleeping but Caroline didn't exactly. "What do you think you are doing?" She asked rather loudly, her arms folded across her chest as she looked at the brunette expectantly.

Elena had ignored the part of her that told her someone was in the house. She thought it was Tyler and simply ignored it. However when she heard Caroline's voice she knew that that was a mistake. "Hello to you, too, Caroline." She greeted, sarcasm dripping from her voice as she slowly sat up in her bed, letting out a yawn.

"With Tyler." She continued not even bothering to skip a beat. She had always been a fast paced person and that would never change. "He's not right for you. You're my best friend. He doesn't[t deserve you. You're supposed to be on my side in this and not sleeping with him. It's the girl code."

Elena almost couldn't believe what she was hearing coming from Caroline's mouth. Wherever she got her facts from they were obviously wrong. She and Tyler were just friends. Though there was this part inside of Elena who was rather angered by Caroline. If there was something going on between her and Tyler she was sure that it was none of Caroline's business, especially since she was with Klaus. "I'm not having sex with Tyler, Caroline. We're just friends." She answered softly, trying not to turn this into an argument. They had a rocky past and she didn't want them to start fighting all of a sudden. "Not that it matters since you are with Klaus. You have no business being involved even if I was sleeping with him."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "You need to stop hating Klaus. He's different now." She was blinded by love and would probably always be blinded by the love that she held for the guy. As long as she was head over heels in love with him she would always defend him, evento Elena. Yes, he made mistakes and wronged them in the past, but Caroline tried not to remember them. Instead she focused on the future that she shared with him. "Either way Stefan is your true love. Tyler isn't. He's…Tyler. You two are not right for each other." Caroline was still upset with Tyler for what had happened between him and Hayley all those years ago. Even if Tyler denied it Caroline wasn't stupid and knew that something that happened between the two of them.

"Stop, Caroline." Elena said firmly as she got out of bed. She couldn't deal with the blonde so early in the morning and felt like she wanted to stab her. She didn't of course. She still had her humanity on. However, she was still rather upset. "You cannot judge. Klaus is a killer. He has tried to kill all of us. He made Tyler bite you. He threw Stefan off of the deep end. He stabbed you. He drained me off my blood. The list of things he hasn't done to us is shorter than the list of stuff he has." Elena paused for a moment, taking a breath. "I know you are mad at Tyler and I get that. I would be mad to. However, it's been a long time. That chapter is over with. What both he and I do is none of your damn business." She was letting her emotions get the best of her. "Stefan and I are over. He's with Rebekah and I am happy where I am. We don't all need to be with a man constantly. Got it?"

"Klaus is…unconventional." Caroline said the moment that Elena stopped talking. She was never one to be silenced and sure as hell wasn't going to be silenced now. She had things that she wanted to say. "Plus, he hasn't tried to kill any of you in a very long time. He could have killed the two of you but he hasn't. He's changed." She defended her boyfriend. "He's your big true love, Elena. I know it. You know it. Stefan knows it. We all know it. Don't let that go."

There was no point in arguing with Caroline and Elena didn't even want to try. She was so set in her opinions that there was no way that she was going to change. "Is that all you came for, Caroline?" She asked and hoped that her constant badgering would stop. Elena did not want to deal with this any longer.

Tyler was laying in the spare bedroom of the Gilbert house wide awake. Lately he had been spending quite a bit of time time there lately. If he and Elena weren't at her house then they spent time at his house. It was almost insane just how much time they had been spending together lately, but he didn't mind. He found that he liked hanging out with Elena. Yeah. That was still a strange thought. As he laid there he ended up hearing the conversation between Elena and Caroline, not totally meaning to, but not ignoring the words either. There was a small smile on the hybrid's face as Elena defending him and actually spoke about Klaus. For once it didn't seem like he was the only one who hated the Original.

Eventually he got sick of just laying in the bed and got up, picking up a shirt and pulling it over his broad shoulders before walking out of the room. It was only a matter of seconds before he was strolling by the room that the two female vampires were in. "You know, when you want to talk about someone, Caroline, you should make sure they aren't around. Oh and Klaus is a dick."

Caroline instantly turned around when she heard his voice, a rather surprised look on her face. She then looked back at Elena, before turning her to head to simply look between the two of them. "You could have told me he was here." Caroline chastised in a hush tone as she stood up from the bed. "What are you even doing here? Don't you have your own house?" The blonde questioned with an obviously agitated tone as she looked at her former boyfriend.

Tyler crossed his arms across his chest as he looked at Caroline. Tensions were high between the two of them and any love they shared was long gone. They could barely stand be near each other now. "Should have slept there so I could have avoided you. How are things between you and Satan the alpha male?" There was a small smirk laced with amusement on his face. He definitely always loved taking a jab at Klaus.

The blonde vampire was not amused and suddenly shoved Tyler up against the wall. He looked at her for a moment before pushing her back against the wall, looking at her with darkened eyes. That inner wolf was coming out and his temper was not one to be messed with. "Don't mess with me, Forbes."

Elena wasn't about to have her house destroyed and suddenly got up. "Stop." She told the both of them, obviously annoyed with how the two were acting. "Caroline. Do you need anything else or are we done here?"

"No." Caroline whispered as she kept her angry eyes directly on Tyler who still had her pinned against the wall. "I'll call you, Elena." Tyler backed up from her and she walked down the stairs, reaching the front door before she was greeted with Tyler's presence. "Here to shove me into another wall?"

"Don't give me that attitude. See that spot over there," he said and pointed to a spot in the living room. "I remember Klaus stabbing you there once. Don't act like I'm abusive son a bitch asshole, Caroline." That was not the reason that he was down there to talk to her. "Look whatever shit between us aside – I'm not sleeping with Elena. Your boyfriend's precious hybrids got it wrong." He informed her, trying to be calm but something about her was irrationally irritating at the moment.

The blonde wasn't buying it and frankly didn't care about what he had to say. "Just say away from her, Tyler. You'll just her like you hurt me and Elena doesn't deserve that considering all the stuff that she's had to deal with." She was coming across a little too overprotective and she knew that, but she didn't care. She just wanted her friend – former friend – to be okay.

Tyler didn't even get to say anything before Caroline was out of the house. He let out a sigh but turned his head to see Elena walking down the stairs. "Do you think that the two of you will ever be able to get along?" She asked softly as she made her way over to him, stopping and looking up at him.

In response to her question Tyler shrugged his shoulders. "Probably not." He didn't hold much hope for him to ever be on speaking terms with Caroline. It wasn't as if he had much luck with any of this exes. It usually got mean and it got better – that's exactly what seemed to happen between him and Caroline.

The small brunette ran her hand through her long straight locks and let out a breath. "Don't kill each other." There was a small smile on her face but she was totally serious before turning and walking back up the stairs. It was an interesting morning and she wanted to grab a shower before the rest of the day went up in flames – so to speak.

"I make no promises." In reality there was no way that Tyler was ever going to kill Caroline but she really had gotten on his nerves. He just wanted for things to be calm and just live this new chapter of his life. Of course that wasn't allowed, not with Caroline deciding that he was wrong for Elena in every single way. It didn't matter. They were just friends. Friends who had found each other after years of turmoil. Sometimes all you really needed was a friend.


End file.
